Corpsman Moms

let me just say, curleytop...(love that name by the way)...my son is currently in A school in san antonio, tx...it is better than boot camp, for me anyway...LOL...i get to talk to him much more...he has done really well and always calls to ask me to pray when he is about to take a test...he will graduate on oct 2nd and then home for a couple weeks then off to work in san diego...no ma'am the pain never goes away...i do not have a husband or a boyfriend that i can lean on and help pass the time so i know you are thankful you do have...lean on each other and comfort each other as often as possible and ALWAYS think positive thoughts about your sailor, encourage and up lift him always!!  we all feel your pain on this sight and i am thankful for each and everyone of you! 

There several fun groups for loved ones of corpsmen to get to know each other on N4M :)   http://www.navyformoms.com/group/hostipalcorpsmangirlfriendswivesmoms and http://www.navyformoms.com/group/corpsmanmomsanddads are two.

As TDM pointed out a day or so ago, this group has traditionally comprised the families and loved ones of those who have already achieved the corpsman rate and are either deployed with Marine Corps operating forces or on ships, or are serving on shore duty.  The best place for current A school information is in the A school groups - links, above.... :) 

Good morning everyone,

Thank you for all the kind comments.  I did not know I was in the wrong group.  Maybe in Dec or Jan, I will be a corpsman mom.  Thanks TexasDocMom for the OPSEC reminder.  I am still new at the navy mom stuff by less than 10 weeks.

Marcy, I will definitely check out the links you gave me.

I will be back in a few months.

Marcy, am I confused?  You are not sending Curleytop away from CorpsmanMoms, but rather diredting her to other groups that may also be able to answer her questions?  

No one is ever sent away, that wasn't Marcy's intent or mine. We just do not have the current up to date information that new Navy moms need, or even about METC that the moms of sailors in Corpsman A School might need. It's a changing venue, especially right now. The San Antonio METC is still relatively new, so we can expect changes to occur. That's why those groups are posted above, to give each mom the level of help each might need. They've been posted there since I took over as admin, and I'm sure Marcy will leave them and continue to add more as we find them. I think one of our goals here is to make sure each mom gets the support she needs at the time she needs it. I encourage moms with corpsmen deploying or already deployed to go to our group for Moms with Kids in Iraq/Afghanistan. That's where they will find the folks in that same hell or aware of the feelings associated with it. But all are welcome to post here...you don't have to delete one group to join another!

My sailor was in A School 8 years ago...in Great Lakes. No Navy4Moms then! but the things I learned about that area at his PIR  (best Mexican cafe in Liberty IL) really do not pertain to right now. I didn't attend his graduation from A School..couldn't afford it, too bad it wasn't in San Antonio then, that's only an hour or so from here!

Thanks for clarifying, TexasDocMom.  I know we can glean so much information from many of the groups, such as FMTB, before our loved one actually reports.  I think Curleytop got the impression she was being told, "go away, come back when your son completes A school," which is unfortunate.

Like you, my son attended A school in Great Lakes, almost nine years ago.  I find it interesting to follow the "youngsters" just heading to A school in San Antonio and, sometimes, heartwrenching as mothers share how much they miss their child. I just want to reach out and give them a hug and tell them it does get easier for both our new sailor and we, the loved ones. 

My son starts his deployment process next week.  I will worry about him until he reports back to Camp P in several months.  I know I will need some virtual hugs!   

Docsmom, are you on our Iraq/Afghan group? is this your son's first deployment to the sand? our board is great to lurk on before...and ask questions if you have them. You have prepare yourself just like your corpsman does, it's a different world for loved ones of those serving in a war zone. The link is above, please join us...it's the group no one wants to join, but we never seem to leave it once we do...even tho our corpsmen are safe and sound in the USA.  We offer support to moms and families of all deployed...Navy, Army, Marines, Air Force....it's all the same when your kid is in a war zone.

I should have explained more fully; thanks TDM.  There is a natural overlap between the group Bootcamp Moms, A School groups, groups for rates, specialties within rates; and goes on to Permanent Duty Stations, etc.  

Never my intention to send anyone away!  We're all here to share, but some groups are better suited for different levels of learning and support.

I'd like to add that there is so much to know about the Navy and this rate.  It CANNOT be learned just in questions and answers here.  There is also a danger that info gets passed like a game of "telephone," or that hearsay from someone else's sailor is taken for fact.

A lot of time and research by those before you has gone into finding information, organizing and posting it and/or providing links to it.  There just is no substitute for taking substantial time to delve in, use what others before you have found, read as much as possible and learn the avenues available to research on your own. 

Some of you may know I have expressed some dissatisfaction with the tone of one of the A school groups.  There is so much important information that new moms want to know.  In the past, moms who have first-hand experience remain for a while to provide answers, and as their sailors move forward, others eventually take their place with more up-to-date info.  When a group devolves into cliques or the information isn't current, correct or qualified, the purpose gets defeated.

Last - the Hospital Corps is an elite rate.  The difference between a sailor just graduated from bootcamp and one from A school is great.  And then you see a different sailor at Field Med graduation, and then C school if that is their path.  My efforts on NavyforMoms to be of help and support is out of deep respect for the rate and the incredible skills of our corpsmen and the challenges they face. 

I did not mean by my comment that anyone was sending me away.  I just did not realize this group was for moms that already had corpsmen.  I am glad for Marcy's and TexDocMom's directions.  I thought since my son was going to be a corpsman this was the group I was to join.  I am so new at being a Navy mom and I make mistakes.  I will be back when my son graduates.  This is a great group.  I would not have made it without the boot camp mom groups.  Talk to all of you again soon.  Should be around Christmas or the New Year.

We're not going anyplace, Curleytop! and please, call me TDM, all my friends do...hang on, you're in for one heck of a ride! 

My son graduated avt school at the end of July and is in North Island CA. He is deploying on  Aug 31 to the John C. Stennis to the Persian Gulf. Anyone else out there on this float?

I have not been on much lately. When he was at RTC it was a God send. I am falling back into that pace I think. It will be great to talk with other mom's on this first deployment.

chadsmom - my son will be on the Stennis, too.  He graduated from AVT school in May.

If you're interested, there is a John C. Stennis support group here on N4Ms (they will verify that you belong...), plus they have a facebook page.  I agree with you - our N4Ms groups have been great for support and info!

Nice to meet you!

Renee,

Gret to meet you to.

I will join the Stennis support group too. Thanks so much.

My other son is an EM and just transferred to Stennis last week from the Reagan which is in dry dock at Bremerton.  This is his first (and our) first deployment.  My Corpsman deploys to Afghanistan in November.  I just joined the Stennis group as well so hope to see you over there, Chadsmom.

Speaking of ships, the USS Iwo Jima released last week this pic of the corpsmen  who comprise their Medical Department - ♥ it! 

Make sure your corpsman can vote, wherever he/she is stationed!

Voting Absentee link

My son messaged me today and said he just got approved for his tuition assistance and wanted to know if I knew of any good online schools.  I have no idea.  Does anyone have any suggestions?

Jana, University of Maryland University College and Excelsior College are two.  I too would like to hear others' suggestions and experiences.  

Katze, what do you mean by holding rooms?

Jana, there used to be an easy answer to your question...contact your education counselor at the education center.  But, with funding cuts, the only people around to talk to are school reps and of course they are biased.  

If he has an idea what degree he wants to pursue, he should research schools with that program so he doesn't waste his time taking courses he doesn't need and end up with a whole lot of credit and no degree.  Also, he needs to be aware of what credit he has from A school so as not to duplicate. 

The education center sometimes has education fairs with representatives from schools having small booths. 

Is he on a ship or in a unit where he is unable to attend classes?  Distance learning is not for everyone and takes a lot discipline.  Does he have that?  My son doesn't.  If you fail a course, you MUST reimburse the government.  I don't know if they take it out as a lump sum.

He needs to make up his mind quickly because the Navy only allocates a certain amount of money each quarter and if other sailors beat him to the punch, he is out of luck.  Again, funding cuts. 

I suggest he go to DANTES.doded.mil and take the short assessment to help him determine if he is a good candidate for distance learning.  On the home page, left hand margin, see distance learning, click, distance learning readiness self assessment test.

Is he aware that he can take CLEP and DSST tests for college credit?  Buy or rent a college textbook, study, and then take the test.  The Navy has a call-in line with counselors (some are real counselors, some not) to talk to him about what is available and how to go about taking them.  These counselors are physically located at Dam Neck, VA.  Again, funding cuts. 

https://www.navycollege.navy.mil/  click on "my education" and then "webta" for more information.  Actually, there is a whole lot of information at the Navy College site.   

Good luck to him.  As a family member, I am a proud graduate of the University of Maryland, Overseas Division, and spouse of a guy with many years working with the continuing education system for our service members.  If you want it enough, you can do it.   

Jana, just saw your son is stationed in Naples.  There is a Navy College office on base there.  

Thanks for all the information so far.  I think he could do online classes with no problem as he was always an honor student in school, and very disciplined, but that is just my opinion :)

One caution for using his credits . . . be wary of the "for profit" schools; they prey upon military, promise a lot and deliver little for an extremely high cost. docsmom provided good advice!

My corpsman just posted he is being sent to 29 Palms.  Does this mean an automatic attachment with Marines?  He hasn't had a deployment in his career yet; has been stationed in Europe.  He did get his FMTB training right after A School. 

I think it depends on where he assigne...to a battalion? or to the hospital there? My son was at 29 Palms for training before deployment, but went with his unit. Another time he was "loaned" to 29 Palms along with a few Marines as an assignment for a couple of months...call your son for clarification...

I found out today that he has chosen to go with the Marines.  I'm doing my best to be happy for him and shut down my concerns.  I know he will do a great job and that the Marines will take good care of him, but if I had my way, he would have taken the hospital duty they offered him.  But, this is what he is trained for, and I have to be a big girl and let him go where he feels led.

Mombyheart....you're a good mom. I say that because after my son came back from Iraq,  he figured out that I had figured out that he had volunteered to go greenside with the Marines back when he was in A School and that I had said nothing about it at the time....that's what he said to me "you're a good mom, mom".  Welcome to our club.

Your son is a grown man, he'll be doing a grown man's job, he'll be a military professional and he will thank you for allowing him to go his way without having to worry about you. Not that he won't worry about you,  because they do....but they are happy and proud to have the job they have and their focus is doing it well.

Yes, those Marines are pretty protective of their Docs. The Docs walk a line between Navy and Marine, pretty special people. And they are tough. I've told this story before on here, so pardon me to those who have heard it before....I was setting up a catering gig at home one day, and chatting with a man who was sitting out on the patio drinking coffee. He said something about his time in Iraq (he was a Navy Reserve PR guy in the Green Zone) so of course I told him my son was a field corpsman with the Marines. His mouth dropped open, and he said "wow!"....he went back to reading, then came up to me a few minutes later...and said.."your son is a field corpsman, really?" and I said yes...he leaned in and said quietly "those guys are the toughest mofos in the world...without exception." He was so intense and then he apologized for using the real word for "mofo"...but he was so impressed with that rank. All I could think about was the little boy that had the August birthday and was always the smallest in his class, always the one by the teacher in the school photos...was now one of the "toughtest mofos" in the world. That day, I knew I had to separate my mom feelings from my "mother of a USN corpsman" feelings. And it's hard, hard to realize that your child is seen by the rest of the world, by those with whom he serves, by those whose lives he will directly effect...as a USN Corpsman, the most highly decorated rank in the history of the US military.

My Mother in Law...not so much. My kids visited her, age 88, over the Labor Day holiday...and she wouldn't let my son mow the yard because "it's hilly, and will be too hard, you might hurt yourself"...also while she'd let him drive the car, she had to take it in and out of the garage herself. A sign of being a mature man...instead of making him so mad like it used to, he was laughing his butt off when he was telling me about it!

Thanks, TexasDocMom for that story.  I needed it.  My son is getting ready to deploy with a 12-man team of Marines to Afghanistan.  He is 5'4" and maybe 112 pounds.  All Marines I meet encourage me they take care of their Docs.  When he graduated from A school three years ago, I talked him into not going FMTB and accepting a clinic job.  I wanted him to "grow."  He learned a lot doing that for two years but he has always wanted to experience the "active" zone.  He has completed FMTB and now is training for this new adventure.  Prayers will be flowing.  His twin brother just deployed with the USS Stennis last week so I will have two on deployment - one blue side and one green side.

Tamme, I'm glad it helped you. I feel sometimes, after all this time as Navy mom, a Navy daughter, and Marine sister...and the now years on this board, that I'm repeating myself, and that some will roll their eyes and say "there she goes again"...but these stories are what new corpsmen moms need to hear, about life as a Navy mom. I will suggest to  you and any mom whose corpsman is deploying to a war zone, to look above the discussion section and find the link to Moms with Kids in Iraq/Afghanistan...go read, go lurk, post when you're ready. It's a happy place today, so many homecomings! but it's always there, please use us. We know your fear, your thoughts and tears and joy and laughter.

Txdocmom...as a mom of a new corpsman who starts FMTB next month, thank you!  

TxDocMOm...Thank you so much for relating that story to me and the rest of us here!  It was perfect for me, too.  He was just recently home and at times he was still the "kid" but I know he has this other side that we don't see.  I've always told him, "Don't go green, I will not be able to do anything else in my life cause I will only be on my knees praying for your safety!"  But when he said he chose battallion, I just told him I was proud of him and knew he was gonna take good care of those marines.  

  I do wonder, though, what will he be doing when they are stateside?  He's been doing clinic duty for the last year and a half, so I assume this will be different.

Tamme, I tried talking my sailor out of "green", but alas, I knew the day would come when he would choose it.  He has made noises about wanting to see how much he can handle and stuff like that.  God knows what they all can handle and what we can handle, too.  We will all be stronger. 

I'm usually on other boards, but with this change of duty coming up, I'm sure I'll be here more with lots of questions.  The hospital duty my guy has had was so TAME and stable =] 

Moms and whatever Dads we have! Every so often on a board like this one, there are those who feel the need to share every bit of information that they hear from their  sailor son or daughter. This is how rumors start, worry builds and conflicts arise...but most importantly, it is against OPSEC regs. When your adult child shares an activity, a story, his/her experiences, please remember, he/she is sharing  this info with his mom and dad...and he/she trusts you to keep it confidential. Some things may be part of an active investigation by the Navy, some, sadly, may need to be shared with a sailor's next of kin....and that mom or dad does not need to learn about it from an internet message board. I can't even imagine the needless pain, worry and fear that a family goes through waiting to hear or confirm a rumor. Because, until the USN releases any information or confirmation, that is what it is... a rumor.

Remember, no dates/places of arrivals/departures. No real addresses or specfic location of your sailor or anyone else's...no info. Yes we know it's on facebook or other social media...the military is working to control that, but the old rule applies: LOOSE LIPS SINK SHIPS.  Don't let them be yours. If you have doubts, message the admin of the group to ask. It's what we do.

No one here in this group is being addressed, you guys are perfect!

Medics always keep caring...   I guess once you're a medic or Corpsman, you're always a medic or Corpsman...tissue alert!

TexasDocMom my mom told me about them. It was so sweet to see that after all these years that he is still doing his job as a corpsman. I was very moved by the whole story. I have to watch it when I get the chance. Thank you for sharing this.

My son was touched by this...even tho he's out now, he's still so close to his buds from the last 8 years of his life. And...his girl friend's brother, someone who he has gotten very close to , is in training with our corpsmen at METC training as an Army combat medic right now. So, this is all still very much a part of his life, except he's learning OUR side of it now. Does anyone know the differences and/or likenesses of the two programs, Corpsman and Combat medic? 

Our group for Moms with kids in Iraq/Afghanistan is asking that you please share with any moms you know that might have a corpsman with a Marine unit in a cruise that might be moved into Libya after this horrific killing of Americans on duty in Libya. We're here, we don't ask questions and we will offer our support during their time of fear. There is a link above to our group. 

My kiddo is on his way down to MEPS right now to swear in as a Corpsman! Finally!  I can't believe how smoothly this whole experience has gone for him.

Congratulations Smile09!  It's a bumpy ride, but what an experience!

What determines whether a medic is deployed to a ship or with the Marines, after serving a specific time in the HM training at a hospital after "A" school?

Hi-my son is in BC right now after that he will go to San Antonio for his HM training.Can't tell you enough how proud of him we are.Then after Navy or if stays in he wants to a doctor.So this is good for him to have this plan.Very proud of him.

Nadine - I have heard more experienced corpsman are the one's on ships, but I don't know how true. 

Alexsmom - welcome to the Navy! My son has been in for a little over two years now and he was one of the last classes for Corpsman out of Great Lakes.  I hear San Antonio is much better than Chicago in the winter!  Having been born and raised outside of Chicago but now living in Atlanta, I can tell you the winters there are brutal!  Again, welcome and make sure you join the bootcamp moms group and then when he goes on to San Antonio there are links above for those groups also.

Hum son passed all his tests with A's & B's yet chose to go green with the Marines. Sometimes I think it's just a choice

Well, Katze, the Marines like the really bright ones...like my son! He's always aced tests ("I just test well, Mom, it's a skill"), but it was his plan all along to go greenside and deploy with the Marines. He actually thought I hadn't figured that out for a long time. Good grief!

When he was instructing in SA at Camp Bullis, they offered him any school he wanted, he kept telling them, "I have a job, I'm a CORPSMAN"....he said it kind of ticked off some of them, but his point was...he was a greenside corpsman and that was job he wanted. Thank God he fell in love and decided that deploying again wasn't the end all and be all any longer! 

Thinking tonight of those corpsmen, Marines and Bees in Camp Leatherneck, hope there are no more deaths reported, and few injuries, and all moms hear from their sailors soon.

TDM that's what I'm saying. I saw a post that said they thought the more experienced go blue. I thought it was a choice to go blue or green. Mine said from the day he enlisted he want to go FMTB Green. I thought when they got to the end of A School they were given a list of open orders, once they picked they were told if they got their first second or third choice. My son's only indecision was weather to go east or west coast. Your son sounds like he knows what he wants and is making that happen. Thats great!

It really depends on the needs of the Navy and the Marines. When my son entered FMTB, he was pulled out of the end of A school with a few others to fill a class for FMTB at Lajuene. They needed corpsmen. One of his classmates went to 29 Palms with his Marine unit and left for Iraq within a couple of months, my son's Marine unit had just returned from Iraq so he went on an MEU deployment with them. Ended up sitting on the border of Lebanon waiting to help pull out Americans when something happened there. Went to Iraq a year later with them. He's out now, left in February. He's still in San Antonio, going to UTSA, bought a new home, missing his buddies, but moving forward with his life after 8 years in the Navy.

TDM wow I didn't know they could do that. Here I am resting somewhat easy thinking I don't have to worry until the end of the year. He gets done with training Dec 22 then goes to Va on 12/24 and will be stationed there for 3 years or until his unit gets deployed. But then again its the military and there is no norm right? LOL

Congrats to Class 170/175 at FSH graduating this Tuesday. In particular to my son for making the Deans list. So proud of him!  So proud of all of you!